Combination chair and cot



1. WHITE.

COMBINATION CHAIR AND CGTI. APPLICATION FILED JAN.16,19I8.

1,378,505. Patented May 17; 1921.

3 suns-sun 1.

1. L. WHITE.-

I COMBINATION CHAIR AND,COT.

APPLICATION HLED JAN. 16, 1918'.

Patented. May 17, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. L. WHITE.

COMBINATION CHAIR AND COT,

APPLICATION FILED JAN-15' 1918.

Patented May 17, 1921.

3 SHEETS SHEET 3 nits!) STATES JOHANNAI-I L. WHITE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

. COMBINATION CHAIR AND COT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1'7, 1921.

App1ication filed January 16, 1918. Serial No. 212,009.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHANNAH L. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination Cha1rs and Cots; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descrlption thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in convertible chairs and tents of that kind in which the elements of both cot and tent may be folded or collapsed so as to occupy relatively small space. The invention also relates to improvements in devices of this character embracing as affeature of the cot a construction wherein said cot may take the form of a chair; the chair being generally like the folding chair shown in my prior United States Patent Number 1,193,854, issued on the eighth day of August, 1916.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a very simple and commodious device of this character which will serve the two purposes or functions above mentioned, which'may be made at small cost and which is foldable in very small compass, as com pared to its open dimensions.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the combined cot and tent embodying the invention ready for use. j

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cot structure adjusted as a chair. I V

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the cot.

Fig. 4 illustrates ,the manner of hinging certain of the folding legs to the cot.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of one of the cot sections.

Fig. 6 is adetail of one form of end frame for the tent.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail as seen from the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. 7

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are details of the chair construction to be hereinafter described.

Fig. 11 is a foreshortened perspective view of a modification of the tent structure.

Referring first to the combined cot and chair, the structure comprises 'four relatively foldable sections 15 16, 17 and 18' (Figs. land 2). i The sections 15 and 16 constitute the back of the chair, when the detheir sections in the -whereby the sections may be folded upon each other. The section 15 constitutes the head rest when the device is adjusted as a cot, and the section 18 constitutes the foot section of the cot, while the sections16 and 17 constitute the central supporting sections of the cot.

The said sections 15 to 18, inclusive, are

supported on pairs of legs designated, re-' spectively, as 19, 20, 21, and 22. The legs may be additionally strengthened by cross braces. One or more of the pairs may be braced from the side members 25 of their appropriate foldable sections in a manner presently to be described. The margins of the cloth coverarev folded under the side members 25, as shown at 23 (Fig. 3)'and tacked thereto. Said legs are hinged to the cross or end members 26 of the section frames by any suitable hinge connection so as to permit them to be folded up against manner indicated in Figs.3and 4. V

Plain leaf springs 27 are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 for this purpose. Braces 28 of general L shape for the two pairs of legs 20, 21, are shown as hinged at 29 (Fig. 4) tothe side members 25 of the section 17 at the in 'to thereby effect a rigid bracing connection between the legs and the section 17. The slotted connections of the braces 28 with the stud bearing legs 20, 21, permit the said legs to be swung upwardly against. the lowerside of the section 17, as indicated at dotted lines in Fig. 4:, when the sections are to be folded, with the braces lying alongside of the legs.

The cover cloth 23 may be reinforced by crossed webbings 36 (Figs. 3 and 5) and the end or cross members 26 of the sections are bowed or curved downwardly so that the cover clothmaytake its proper shape when the cot or. chair is occupied.

lower edges of and coc'jperatewith clips 40 attached to the side members of the section 17. Said clips are made of metal straps 11, which are bent outwardly between their ends to produce between the same and said side members guide openings 42 for the brace chains. The outer walls of said clips are formed with notches d3, which open to the lower edges of said walls. Said notches are made largest at their upper ends and are of such size at their lower, narrower ends, as to permit the links of the chains to pass therethrough' to the larger ends of the notches only when specially turned or directed, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. When the chains are released from said notches they may slide freely through the guide openings, but are limited from complete detachment by stop buttons 1 1- at the ends of said chain. The notched clips permit the chains to be interlocked thereto in a manner to hold the back section 16 in adjusted positions and to allow the said section to be readily adjusted at different angles to the seat section 17. The said chains are of such length as to permit the section 16 to be adjusted in the plane of the section 17 when the device is converted into a cot. In addition to the hinge connections of the sections afforded by the leaf hinges 9A, the sections 16 and 17 are specially connected by bridge links 4-3, which extend across the hinge joint between said sections and are hinged at 4 5 to the side members 25 of said sections.

Stop plates 46 are attached to the under sides of said side members and extend laterally outwardly beneath or across the said links to prevent the joints between the sections 16 and 17 from breaking downwardly when the structure is adjusted as a cot.

When. folding the sections, the section 18 may: be first folded flat on the section 17, the section 15 folded on the section 16, and the two latter sections folded over the section 18 which has been. folded on the section 17. The hinge links 43 permit such relative movement between the acent edges of the sections 16 and 1'? as to per mit said sections to part sufiicientlyto re ceive between them the sections 15 and 18.

In one form of the device the tent frame, which is supported on and over the structure when adjusted as a cot, comprises triangular end members, designated as a whole by 47 (Figs. 1 and 6), which are supported on the end pieces 26 0f the foot and headv sections. of the cot. Said triangular end frames each comprise two side members 48, each consisting of two sections that are joined by'a hinge d9 (Fig. 7). The hinge joints are normally supported against flex:-

ure by means of bars 48*, each hinged at one end to one section and cooperating with provided with inwardly directed terminals I 50. The side members 48 of each frame converge at the top of the frame and are connected by a clip 51. The inturned terminals of said members are connected to the'end members 26 of the head and foot sections by means of plates or straps 52 that overlap said terminals and the ends of the end members 26, and are riveted to one of said parts and attached to the other by suitable detachable fastening devices, as bolts 5e provided with thumb nuts. In the assemblage of the parts, the ends of the inwardly directed terminals 50 of the side members 48 abut against the side faces of the side members '25 of the head and foot sections. This construction produces a rigid connection between the tent end frames and the cot structure. It is also advantageous in that the base of the tent cloth when draped over the frame, thus constructed, is supported a distance laterally away from the sides of the cot, so as to give the occupant ample space on the cot.

A ridge-pole or member 55 extends between said end frames and it is bolted, or otherwise suitably connected, to the clips 51. Said ridge member is preferably jointed, it being shown as made of flat bar sections of suitable length, which are hinged at frequent intervals along the length of the ridge member, whereby the ridge member may be folded in compact dimensions.

The tent cloth may consist of two like members 57 of triangular cross section, which are closed at their ends 58 to fit over the end frames, and each of a length to cover substantially one half of the tent frame thus formed. They may be fastened together at the longitudinal center of the cot by any suitable form of eyelets and studs.

In Fig. 11 is shown a modification of the tent frame. Asshown in said figures, each end frame comprises a central upright member 65 and a bottom cross member comprising end sections 67 that overlie the intermediate end members 26 of the head and foot sections and are shown as detachably fastened thereto, as by dowels 68. The upri ht members may also be detachably fastened to the central section 26 by dowels 69. The ridge member of the tent frame shown in Fig. 11 comprises a rope or cable 70, which extends from one end post to the other, and the ends of said rope or cable are brought down to the ground and are there fastened to ground pins 71. v72 designates the side members of the end frames which extend from the upper ends of the posts 65 to the ends of the bottom cross members 67 Said side members of each frame will preferably consist of a single length of rope fastened at one end to one end of a cross member, trained over the top of the associated post and carried down and attached at its other end to the other end of said cross member. The ends of said rope may be carried beyond, if desired, the ends of the cross members and fastened to ground pins.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other constructions differing in details from the constructions here shown, and that the invention is, therefore, not limited to said details, except as the same are specifically embodied in the claims and as imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention,

1. A portable, convertible cot and chair comprising seat, foot extension, and back sections foldable against and upon each other, the latter provided with a foldable head section, constructed with means to be adjusted as a chair and cot, and pairs of supporting legs hinged to the seat, foot, and back sections, the latter permanently hinged to the back section below the hinge between the back and head sections, said legs being permanently spaced on and adapted to be folded against the respective sections.

2. A portable, convertible cot and chair comprising,v seat, foot extension, and back sections folded against and upon each other, the latter provided with a foldable head sec- ,tions, the latter permanently hinged to theback section below the hinge between the ,back and head sections, said legs being permanently spaced on and adapted to be folded against the respective sections, and all of the hinges that hinge the legs being below the planes of the upper sides of the respective sections.

3. A convertible cot and chair, comprising seat, foot extension, and back sections, the latter provided with a foldable head section, supporting legs hinged to the seat, foot and back sections to swing against said sections, and means to adjust the back section, as a chair element, relatively to the seat section, comprising brace chains attached to said back section,;locking clips on the seat section through which said chains are slidable, said clips spaced from the sides of the seat section to afford guide passages for the chain and being provided with notches which open to the edges of said clips to lockingly engage the chain.

In testimony whereof I claim the foregoing as my invention, I hereunto append my signature in the presence of two witnesses at Chicago, Illinois, this tenth day of J anuary, 1918. 7

JOHANNAH L. WHITE. WVitnesses:

W. L. HALL, MARGARET D Ross. 

